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Friday, January 28, 2011

Finally, some sunshine around these parts! While we haven’t had to bear the harsh winter storms of the northeast, it has been particularly gloomy and cold here lately. I took advantage of the sunshine to plant some paperwhites.

I’ve never grown any indoor bulbs before, so this will be an experiment!

I’m not even sure if it’s the right time to plant them, am I a little late?

Monday, January 17, 2011

Last year I wondered what the craft craze of 2010 would be, so I thought it would be fun to look back and then make my predictions for 2011.

I received a few theories such as “patterns”, “repurposing”, and “monograms”. Some of those were right on, as we saw the reuse, recycle and repurpose trend continue in the craft and decorating world. I featured my friend’s shutter turned wall art as a prime example:

So what do you think the craft craze of 2011 will be? I definitely think that personalized crafts will continue to be popular, as will the repurpose and reuse trend. I’m also seeing lots of people going crazy for their Silhouettes and Cricuts, so I’m sure we’ll continue to see plenty of creative projects using those. I can’t wait to hear your ideas in the comments!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Well, it is a brand new year and for many that means a time to make a fresh start. I typically don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I know for many one goal is to get organized. This was the case for a good friend of mine who wanted to de-clutter the front of her refrigerator. So I knew the perfect Christmas gift for her would be a “new” memo board where she could display photos, her daughter’s artwork, and other important information.

I had just the thrift store frame in my stash to transform:

Sorry little angels, but you’ve got to go bye-bye!

The first thing I did was remove the artwork from the frame and give the frame a couple coats of brown spray paint. Then I distressed the frame a bit with some sandpaper. No photos of those steps, but I’m sure you get the idea.

Then I purchased a piece of sheet metal from Lowe’s. Make sure you don’t get aluminum because it’s not magnetic. They sell pre-cut sheets, but I had to trim one with tin snips to fit my frame’s measurements.

I found some cute fabric at Hobby Lobby and just hot glued it to cover the sheet metal.

Then I popped the whole thing back in the frame and used some small nails to hold it in.

The finishing touch were these coordinating magnets:

You can find the glass marbles at any craft or dollar store, and then modge podge scrapbook paper to the back and hot glue on a magnet.

Voila! Instant organization!

Here’s another look at the

BEFORE:

and AFTER:

What are some of your goals for the new year? I’ll be linking this post to the following parties: